


five .

by daredoll



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Clint and Laura Barton's Family, F/M, five moments in nat & laura's friendship from their first meeting to the battle of ny, natasha & laura's friendship is extremely important to me ???, post partum depression mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-20 01:45:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14250414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daredoll/pseuds/daredoll
Summary: and everyone said that clint had the problem of picking up strays.





	five .

**Author's Note:**

> for galey.

1.

The first time she sees the auburn-haired assassin she’s handcuffed to a hospital bed and all Laura can think is that she looks far too young. She’s  _far_  too young to hurt and to be hurt. She can only imagine what weapons that petite hand has held, what blood has covered them, and Laura feels sick.  ** _She’s too young_**. Someone should have kept her safe from all of this. 

There’s a certain pull in her chest as she brushes a few strands of hair away from the teen’s sleeping face, and a surprised laugh almost passes her lips as her free hand shifts to circle the almost invisible swell of her stomach. “I think Daddy’s found himself another stray,” she hums, quiet so as not to wake the patient. The chair she settles into beside the bed is more comfortable than she expects, but she’s had enough experience with hospitals to know it won’t stay comfortable long.

“That, or Mommy found one of her own.”  


 

2.

It’s their first Christmas with Cooper, the first time their  **couple**  is a full-fledged  **family** , but something is still missing. The tree is up, all the unbreakable ornaments lined along its lowest branches and the middle is filled with Laura’s childhood favorites and ones emblazoned with “Baby’s First Christmas”. There’s even a few antique bulbs they found in the attic that Clint sometimes stares at for too long with eyes that are somewhere sad and far away. The star, they’ve decided, will have to wait until tonight, Christmas Eve, to crown the fir.

Clint’s late coming home from a last minute “ _trip to the store for more candy canes_ ”, but Laura knows exactly what he’s up to. As she presses her bundle of joy close to her chest she also shifts down low into a crouch. The chest by the fireplace is packed full of Christmas stories and odds and ends, but in its corner is a shock of red velvet and white fur that the new mother lovingly unfolds. A hanger follows it, and just as the door opens a stocking with “ ** _Natasha_** ” stitched carefully across its top is hung by the chimney with care.

The new S.H.I.E.L.D. agent stiffly places the star where it belongs that holiday, and that easily everything in their home is complete. No more missing pieces.

3.

Lila comes early,  ~~early and fast and nerve-wracking~~ , but she’s beautiful and  _so_  loud. She’s Daddy’s girl, and Laura watches father and daughter with a certain type of dread. Something is wrong here, something she can’t put her finger on so she shrugs it off at every chance. Her family beams and kisses her cheek and coos at her little girl, and she smiles wanly through it all. There’s so much to do, so much she can’t control that she feels like she’s slowly losing  e v e r y t h i n g. 

Natasha meets her goddaughter late, after the dust has settled and the thrill of parenting wanes into routine again, but there was no helping it. S.H.I.E.L.D. can’t give up  _both_  its best agents for a hospital visit. It’s love at first sight, though, the infant and her aunt, and for a moment that’s enough to bring a smile back to Laura’s face. It isn’t enough to keep it there, to scare away the feeling that she’s fading away. The two share coffee together like always, and Laura is so tired, so lost. The laughter that usually fills the air between them feels  ~~hollow~~  even at its best.

“You’re not okay,” her friend says slowly one cool morning. She starts in her chair, but eventually just nods slowly, eyes locked on her mug like it’ll make the revelation go away. Nat reaches for her hand tentatively and squeezes it, and maybe she will be again.

4.

Things are lighter now; they feel closer to what they should be. She’s gotten relatively into the swing of things, started to appreciate them better now, but there’s still a distinct sense of isolation she feels deep in the pit of her stomach as she drops Cooper off at preschool. She sees other mothers with their  **children**  and their  **husbands**  and their  **security**  and feels so unnaturally jealous. It must be nice to always know your family is safe.

Laura comes home to a door unlocked and the coffeemaker on, and  _something_  she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying lifts from her shoulders as she turns the corner and finds Natasha on her couch. Lila immediately perks up in her arms and stretches out her chubby hands for “Auntie Nat”, and she’s reminded so simply that she isn’t  ~~alone~~. 

There’s a blissful smile on her lips as she watches an assassin bounce her daughter on her knee and listens to rants on the character flaws of a certain armored billionaire whom her best friend has been handling. The room is bright with laughter, and she knows safety could NEVER hold a candle to this life.

5.

Clint’s been on mission in Santa Fe for too long, but at least the clearance is low enough that he can call home every night. He  ** _never_**  misses one either, complaining about how “ _boring_ ” the surveillance is, how much he’d rather be home, exaggerating stories for the kids to make bedtime easier on her, but then he  ** _does_**. It’s Natasha that wakes her up instead, calling bright and early at six in the morning, and the news she has makes her stomach roll. The call is quick, short, to the point, but the woman who’s become her best friend reassures her that she’ll bring him  ~~back~~.

She gets the kids up to school and scrubs the kitchen floors on her hands and knees until her back aches, but it isn’t enough. By ten Laura can’t hold herself back anymore. She breaks and calls Natasha’s burner phone, the one  **only**  for emergencies.

“Laura, what’s happened? Is HE there?” the redhead’s voice rings through the line, serious and wary and worried. Laura almost regrets her decision.

“No, no. I’m fine,” she assures her, maybe too quickly. She misses when she could curl the phone’s cord around her finger to vent her nerves. “Well, not really, but I just forgot to tell you to be safe. And I want you to know that I love you so, please come back to us safe, okay?”

It’s the first time she’s said what  _years_  of late nights talking and baked goods and open doors have implied. Nat is best friend and sister and daughter all in one, and Laura can’t imagine life  ~~withou~~ t her. 

**Author's Note:**

> just a short little 5 times the love meme i stumbled upon on my former laura barton rp blog ( circa 2015 ) that i found i was still proud of ! i love all incarnations/interpretations of the clint & laura & nat relationship, and exploring it with laura as a maternal influence even more so than just a friend was a joy ! please comment or kudos if you enjoyed it !


End file.
